Mountainmanbob

there have been ones to sober up with just the reading and study of the
AA big book

rosa84

Just wanted to share the daily reflection w everyone!

ENTERING A NEW DIMENSION

In the late stages of our drinking, the will to resist has fled. Yet when we admit complete defeat and when we become entirely ready to try A.A. principles, our obsession leaves us and we enter a new dimen-sion- freedom under God as we understand Him.

AS BILL SEES IT, p. 283

I am fortunate to be among the ones who have had this awesome transformation in my life. When I entered the doors of A.A., alone and desperate, I had been beaten into willingness to believe anything I heard. One of the things I heard was, "This could be your last hangover, or you can keep going round and round." The man who said this obviously was a whole lot better off than I. I liked the idea of admittingdefeat and I have been free ever since! My heart heard what my mind never could: "Being powerless over alcohol is no big deal." I'm free and I'm grateful!

From the book Daily Reflections
© Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Ryno03272009

I was and still am in the same situation as your friend. No doctor admission, therapy, treatment, and work cannot know.

I am in my 5th year of sobriety and yes, it can be done but it will not be easy. I have never got a "Sponsor" but I have many close friends who are recovering alcoholics and also I attend "speaker meetings" regularly (but rarely do I speak). I used to speak and get involved at meetings but not today. -- i once was with friends from work and someone from AA who had relapsed came up to me and started talking and for a unknown reason said "I met him (me) in AA" right on front of my coworkers. Luckly, they never said anything to my employer --- if I speak then My problem becomes public and my employer may find out... And Unfortunate I have a employer who CAN legally terminate employees for disclosing they have s alcohol problem. --- I have attended the same meeting for a year and I regularly have the same people come to me and introduce themselves. Sometimes they tell me I should be more involved but unfortunately, I cant.

What I did to stay sober... Attend speaker meetings, sit listen and understand and relate and speaker stories to my own. I read a lot of AA literature (i recommend Living Sober as a gift to your friend) made friends with people in AA but keep my story short and simple if we discuss past alcohol issues. I attend church regularly and I try to constantly be a better person and model myself in The Bible and AAs recommended ways of living (basically try to be a good person and help others and if necessary and i make a mistake - or even if I didnt and i know my actions are affecting another person- I will apologize immediately when needed and never hold a grudge.

With my current work schedule I dont get to attend as many meetings but I try and log on here to SR once a day and if not post something then I atleast read as much as I can stand.

Bottom line... It can be done without AA but it also can be done with AA just discretely like I did it. People always think im overreacting when I say my employer could fire me for being in AA but its true. I was once asked how I deal with having lied and continuing to lie to my employer... My response is simply - im being truthful as long as I remember i dont have a problem with alcohol, alcohol has s problem with me.

miamifella

Given that AA's help is spiritual rather than practical, I do not know that he will miss much if he is in very early recovery.

A good psychologist specializing in addiction can give practical advice and coping strategies for early recovery. Since most with such a specialization have been through 12-recovery themselves, they might also be able to help if you friends opts for 12-step recovery.

Mountainmanbob

my Sponsor yesterday took me into the AA Big Book

here is your answer straight from the book

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

page 144

We suggest you draw the book to the attention of the doctor who is to attend your patient during treatment. If the book is read the moment the patient is able, while acutely depressed, realization of his condition may come to him.
We hope the doctor will tell the patient the truth about his condition, whatever that happens to be. When the man is presented with this volume it is best that no one tell him he must abide by its suggestions. The man must decide for himself.
You are betting, of course, that your changed attitude plus the contents of this book will turn the trick. In some cases it will, and in others it may not. But we think that if you persevere, the percentage of successes will gratify you. As our work spreads and our numbers increase, we hope your employees may be put in personal contact with some of us. Meanwhile, we are sure a great deal can be accomplished by the use of the book alone.

Cascabel

I quit and then remained a teetotaler for over thirty years without any support system whatsoever. I went back to drinking during a family crisis and then quit again after the crisis was (happily) resolved. I'm now 5 months dry and rely only on this forum to remind me of the pitfalls of drinking. From the statistics I have seen, including those of AA, about two thirds of those who quit drinking do so with no support at all: like me, they just decide to quit and then do so.